Belichick said a simulation the team conducted last week found air pressure in the balls could have dropped as much as 1.5 pounds per square inch based on the cold, rainy conditions present at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 18.

Although Belichick doesn't have Nye on his side (Nye is rooting for the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl), researchers at Pittsburgh-based HeadSmart Labs conducted experiments this week that lent support to at least some of the results of the Patriots' simulation.

The lab tried to simulate the conditions the footballs were in during the game. The researchers found the "pressure in the footballs used in the AFC Championship game could have dropped 1.95 PSI from weather and field conditions alone."